Eggless Vegan “Egg” Salad and Kala Namak

Eggless Vegan “Egg” Salad and Kala Namak

I have a client who is very fond of egg salad. He recently turned toward a vegan diet, so I have been dreaming up different recipes for him. I’m not the first or last person to create an eggless“egg” salad out of tofu, but I think I’ve found the key ingredient for making it taste like an egg salad. I’ve sampled a few versions at some natural food markets and have found them to be bland and not at all eggy. The key ingredient to eggy success is a salt called “Kala Namak” or “Indian Black Salt” (not to be confused with Hawaiian Black Salt).

Vegan Eggless "Egg" Salad-Yum!

I first read about Kala Namak when I stumbled on a blog post by two vegans who had crafted the perfect vegan deviled “egg”. They talked about this particular salt and how it has a unique sulfuric quality that puts the egg back into“egg” salad-vegan style. I’ve been meaning to make their deviled eggs; but I haven’t had the time. My recipe can be made in 5 minutes (after pressing the tofu for 10 minutes to release any excessive amount of water.

Make sure that you buy organic and/or non-GMO tofu. Soy is one of the BIG BAD four on the list of genetically modified crops. There is a lot of debate in the vegan world about eating or abstaining from soy. I eat a conservative amount, and always organic. I don’t recommend eating excessive amounts. Lunch today is a scoop of this egg salad over a ginormous mountain of greens and vegetables-moderate soy amount and lotsa tasty, good-for-you raw veggies!

You can vary ingredients according to your personal taste. I added a couple of teaspoons of raw agave nectar and some extra mustard to mimic that sweet and sour flavor that you might get from adding pickle relish. Tumeric adds a pretty pale yellow color. If you want less of an eggy flavor, substitute a little sea salt for some of the Kala Namak. This salad is particularly good topped with a dusting of smoked paprika!

Indian Black Salt or "Kala Namak" I ordered a pound from Amazon for under $10.00. You can also find it at Indian markets

Ingredients

1 each 12-14 ounce package of Extra Firm Organic Tofu

1/3-1/2 cup of Vegenaise (vegan mayonnaise-buy the organic if it is available)

1 Tbsp plus 1 tsp Dijon Mustartd

2 tsp Raw Agave Nectar

½ tsp ground Tumeric

¾ tsp Kala Namak (Indian Black Salt)

¼ tsp. Ground Pepper

¼ cup finely chopped Celery

1 Green Onion, thinly sliced

1 Tbsp finely chopped Parsley

Optional Ingredients

Chopped Red Onion

Shredded Carrots

Organic Pickle Relish

Chopped Dill

Smoked Paprika

Method

Line a plate with a paper towel. Place tofu on top and cover with another paper towel. Place something heavy such as a heavy-bottomed pan or grill press on top for 10 minutes to bleed out excess water